Incubator



Sam M 11923.

' E. A SWIHART INCUBATOR Filed May '2,

1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 11,1923. 11 467.886

E. A SW IHART INCUBATOR Filed May 7. 1921 3' Sheets-Sheet 2 j [Elli l l 1 I I O i A9. l 1 1 d l 1 l I n l l 1 25 Y I IL?! ZJ" 9 I 2' I /0 w 4' I I} I a A 5 i l a nwmm W. 2i 0 t 9 26 I] l\ 51,1

I 50 v 7 55 axl l wnm lll l e lzl alel t W Fl 6 Sept 11, 1923. 1,467,886

E. A SWIHART Patented ept. H, 1923.

eaten a:

ERAPHIA A. SWIH-ART,

air an.

OF RANDALL, KANSAS.

INCUBATOR.

Application filed May 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAPHIA A. SWIHART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Randall, in the county of Jewell and. State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to incubators and the main object thereof is to provide an incubator in which the admission of air and the temperature automatically controlledJ Another object of the invention is to 'provide an incubator with thermostatically controlled dampers to simultaneously let out the hot air from the incubating chamber, admit fresh air to said chamber and close the heater damper when the temperature in the incubating chamber exceedsa predetermined point.

lVith these and other objects in View, the. invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter; shown and described and then specifically pointed out'in the laims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views Figure 1 is a top plan view of an incubator in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan thereof.

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section thereof.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section thereof.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view, in rear elevation, showingthe damper forcontrolling the admission of fresh air to the incubating chamber.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail section on line 111.l. Figure 1. p

Figure 7 is a detail in transversesection through the egg tray showing the protector in use. V

The incubator 1. constituting this invention comprises a double walled structure except at the front where the door. 2 is mounted and which-extends preferably throughout the length of the incubator beingv shown hinged to open downwardly (see Fig. 4) and comprises an outer protective member and an inner glass member 3, the latter being provided to aiford a View ofthe interior of the incubator without necessitating openingthe door, such opening being'objectionable because of the. change in temperature,

1921. Serial No. 467,593.

in 'theineubating chamber incident thereto.

The incubator herein shown is rectangular in construction and mounted on suitable legs 4, although obviously it may be mounted on any suitable support.

The incubating chamber, which is indicated at 5, has its top provided with a hot air outlet 6, and means mounted in its rear wall to provide a fresh air inlet, and which consists of a. substantially T-shaped pipe, comprising-afstem 8 and a head 9. The stem 8, projects through a transverse opening 7, in the rear ,wall of the incubating chamber, and has its outer end opento the atmosphere, and the said outer open end of the stem. 8, is controlled by a damper to be hereinafter referred to. The head 9 of the fresh air inlet pipe, is arranged adjacent to the inner face of the rear wall of the incubating chamber 5. and'which is disposed longitudinallv in relation thereto, and said head 9 is provided with a plurality of perforations 9 formed in the front thereof to discharge the fresh air in aplane above the tray (see Fig. i

The heating system for the incubating chamber comprises an upright pipe 10, mounted outside the chamber 5, at one end of the incubator into which extends a heater 11, here shown in the form of a lamp mounted on a suitable bracket carried by the incubator frame. This upright pipe 10, is carried by a tubular casing 12, with the interior of which the pipe 10 communicates, as is shown in Fig. 3. This casing 12, is made in the form of a double walled structure and the space between the walls thereof constituting a water chamber '13, from which lead two pipes 14 and 15. the upper one 14 of which after entering the incubating chamber 5, is bifurcated and the members 16and 17, thereof extend in opposite directions around the sides and ends of the incubating chamber above the egg/tray presently to be described. Atthe end of the chamber 5,'opposite to that end through which the pipes 14 and '15 enter, the pipe sections .6 and 17 communicate with thereturn pipe;15 (see Fig. 2). These pipes in connection with the water chamber 13, form a water circulating system for supplying hot water to the incubator chamber and thereby providing sufficient heat for the ineubation of the eggs. i i

As shown in; Fig 2 two baffle plates or f incubating chamber.

deflectors 18 and 19., are arran 'ed one at thepointwhere the inlet pipe 1 1," communicates with the pipe sections 16 and 17 and the other at the point where these pipes commu-- nivat'e with the return pipe 15. These dee flectors or bafile plates are made V-shaped lH'CI'OSS section with the apices th tendmg rd the pipes 14, and 15 es tively'. The baiile 18,'operates to'divide and direct the waterentering' through pipe'l l into the branch pipes 16 and 17 while the: baffle 19, directs the return water into pipe 15 from the branch pipes 16 and 17. 7

Means for supplying water to the system is shown in the form of a'iunnel 20, opening through thetop wall of the pipe 1d, adjacent the connection thereofwith the chain her-131 The casing 12, is provided with aplural-- ity of longitudinally extending radiating spacing plates 21, to hold the casing 12, spaced from an outer shell 22, composed of two sections 23 and 2 1, closed at their outer ends, as shown at 25, saidsections when combined being longer than the casing 12,v

and into which said casing opens at Iitsopposite ends asshown in Figure 9, the heated. air which enters the casing 12, through pipe .10, passin'goutof the ends of said easing A thermostat 26, is supported'in the incu- Y hating chamber 5, above the egg; tray thereof and a threaded rod 27, rests at one cudionf' saidrtherniostat and extends loosely through the top wall 'of the incubator as shown clearly in 6, the opening through which;

said rod. 27, passes being preferably-sur rounded with a pipe as shown at 28, wh ch perniits'thc free movement of the rod 27,

' and prevents heated air in the incul'iating chamber lrom passing out intothe space be tween the walls of the incubator; This threaded rod 27,.passes upwardly and has threadedengagemerit with a block 29, carried by a'lever 30, which lever is fulcrunied' on an upstanding post 31. carried by the incubator topas is shown clearly in Fig. 11. This rod 27, is provided at its upper end witha knurled head 2' to facilitate its adjustment in theblock 29, it being'obvious that this is necessary to properly adjust thelever 30,for indicating the temperature within the incubating chamberb, said lever cooperating with a scale 32, mounted on the incubator top as shown clearly in l and 6'. This scale 32, is slidably mounted in suitable guides 33, and has .a' laterally extending arn'if3 l, on its-{rear :tae'with "which a rod has threaded engagement;

This threaded rod 35, passeseloosely through another arm 36;, which connects the slide members 33, and the lower end of said rod lia's "sv. ivellecl connection with a plate 37, mounted on the incubator top and which a'lsocarriesthepost 31,011 which the lever 30 is itulcruined; Y 7 1 Ai substantially U shaped rod has the legs or arms thereo'fadjacent its crossbar 39,"

mounted for vertical Inovement in two rbraclretseO, carried by thetop of the. in

cubator as shown clearlyin Fig. '1. The

end a damper 1-2, whichfis positioned over .arm 41 of actuating rod carries at'its free her 5 is employed forcontrolling said' opening to regulate the passage of the heat ed alr from the ncubator.

flected laterally adjacent the bracket 40, in

extendspoutwardly over the heating a tank 22, and carries at its free'end a dampcr, which is located directly over the vertical. pipe 10,'ofthe heater and controls the amount The 'a'rin l3 of theaetuatingrod is f which it is pivotally mounted, and said arm* of heated air permitted to pass outwardly 7 through the upper end of the pipe 10. 7

The damper actuating rod is .so mounted and balanced on thebrackets 4.0, that the dampers 42., and 44: will be simultaneously raised and lowered on the rocking of" said rod in the brackets 40. i i I The cross bar 39 is oilsetintermediate its ends, as at 45, and cngaging'with said oil-set 4!) is tbefouter eiul of the lever 30, which is controlled by the thermostat 26 in the incubatingchamber5.1 I V Mounted onitbe rearedg e of the top of the incubator is a vertically disposed plate 46; provided with longitudinally extending -shaped notches. 47,1in its upper edge and with which rockingly engage the ends 48, of a U-shapedmember 49, carried by the upper arm' of an L-shapedshi'l'ting rod. [The ends 48, of the 1ne1nbe1'I4l-9,are provided withV- 's hapednotches and which engagein the V.-,

parallel with-the rear wall of the incubator and carries at"its 1.ree end a damper 58, which is positioned "opposite the open end of thestern 8, of the airinlet pipe, as is. shown clearly in Fig. The shiftingrod is'hso balanced" and connected infrelation to th lever 30, that when. the parts are in norma "position, shown" inf Fig. 11', with incubating chamber and also from the" pipe 10. V Thedamper 53, is provided with an openi.ng-54l-,"-so'that when said damper: is closed the proper amount of air will be permitted to pass into the'incubating chamber through said opening r Mounted' to slide in and out of the incubating chamber 5, is'an egg tray '55,,supportedziby tracks in the form of vertically spaced cleats'56,a-nd which is designed to "be mserted and removed througlrthe door at the front of the inc-ubator..- This incubator tray 55, is open .at' its top and bottom and has mounted in the side members thereof a plurality of rotatable egg supporting rollers 57, any desired numberof which may be employed according to the size of the tray provided that'they be' positioned sufficiently close to support" the eggs and prevent :them from dropping between the rollers. These rollers 57, are made of wood or. othersuitable non-conducting material. These rollers 57, are provided at each end with ]ournals S and 59, having hearings in the; side members of the tray, the journals 59 external-- mg through the side member in which they are mounted and each is provided at its projecting end with a link or crank 60. These links or cranks 60, are of uniform length and are connected at their other ends by an actuating bar 61, which when moved in one direction operates through the links to turn the rollers 57, and incidently tot-urn the eggs which are carried by the rollers. It will thus be seen that all of the eggs IllOllntGClOI] the rollers 5'7, as shown in Fig. 3, may be'simultaneously turned by manipulating the bar 61, in the manner above set forth without mov ng the tray thereby avoiding unnecessary l'landlingj of the eggs and the ars incldent to the removal and n1- sert'lon of the tray.

A drain cock 62, is located at the bottom of the water chamber 13, and is designed for draining the water from the system when not in use. p

In the use of this incubator the tray having been filled with eggs and placed in the incubating chamber 5, and the doors thereof closed,the lamp 11 is lit, after the lever 30, has been properly adjusted to set'the free end thereof in relation to the scale 32, to show the temperature in the incubating ibility of the of the incubatiu be ng overheated.

chamber 5,-which is to be maintained, it of course being understood that the water sys tem has first been filled and the incubator is then'ready for use and will automatically operate without any further attention by the atteudant,;except when it is necessary to turn the eggs which are manipulated in the :manner above described by actuating the bar-61. 1

Should the heat in the incubating chamher 5, rise beyond the desired temperature to be maintained, the thermostat 536, will expand thereby rocking the lever 30, lowering the end thereof which is engaged'with the crossbar 39 of the actuating rod. This lowering of the lever end operates through said actuating-rod to raise the dampers L2,

and Q4 and through the shifting rod to open damper 53, thus permitting the hot air in the incubating chamber to pass out through the outlet and the fresh air to rush in through the inlet pipe. Simultaneously; the raising of the damper permits the hot air from the heater to pass out through the upper end of the pipe 10. iVhen the damper Pi is raised sufficiently to perm t all of the hot air to be drawn out a vacuum will be produced fthroiigh thepipe 2.0, thereby effecting and operate to oraw in cold air a'coolin'g instead of a hearing action on the water in't'he chamber 13, a'nd preventino' all possichamber A few days'hefore the hatchis due, that is on about the18th day, theea'gs are lifted out of'the tray and a cloth 53, placed over the rollers 53?, and the again replaced on the said' cloth. This clothby -,ompleteiy covering the? rollers at the bottom of the tray will operate t protect the chicks which hatch from contact with the rollers andalso prevent the egg shells and other refuse from coming in contact with the rollers 57, so that these are maintained in clean condition and after the hatch is completed the cloth 63, is removed taking out the shells and all other refuse leaving'the tray ready to be refilled without any additional cleaning.

By constructing the heater as above set forth it will be obvious that it may be readily disassembled for cleaning or repair even during a hatch if need be since very little time will be taken for separating the 'arious parts and connecting them up.

. The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings and set 'forth in the specification, but it will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claimed mvention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

lVhat I claim is:

1. An incubator comprising a body portion providing an incubating chamber having a hotair outlet, a. fresh air inlet and a V heating means, a thermostat arranged'there- [in and including aivertically disposed stem projecting through the top of said body portion,-a U-shaped actuating rod mounted on I said body portion and provided at its free end with synchronously operableldampers for controlling said outlet and heatingmeans, a shifting rod pivoted on and depending from said body portion and having a damper for controlling said :inletand further controlled by the operation of said actuating rod, and a lever pivotally supported on said body portion and connected with the stem of said thermostat for actuating s'aid'actuating rodcausing thereby the shifting-of the dampers carried by said rod and the shift- 7 .ing of the damper carried by said shifting rod, 1 I V V 2. In an incubator, an incubating chamber, a thermostat arranged in said chamber and having a-stem extending through the top wall'thereofiia U-shaped actuating rod having its legs mounted for rocking movement adjacent the connectlng cross bar for :said legs, one ofsaid legs being extended .outwardlyat "an oblique angle and provided at its free end with a damper for "control ling, a heat supply device, said chamber having an air outlet, a damper at the free end of the other leg of said member for controlling said air outlet, and a lever connected with said thermostat stem and with said connecting cross bar to rock said'frod and open said dampers. i

3. In anincubator, an i having a fresh air inlet in one end wall thereof, a thermostatarranged'in saidchamber and havingja stem extending through a coeds a predetermined limit.

.ncubatingchamber the top wallthereof, an L'-shaped shifting rod havinga Ushaped member'secured' to one arm thereof and extending on-opposite sides of said arm,-said U-shaped member be ing rockingly supported on said chamber,

the other arm of said rod-extending opposing that end of the chamberhaving I the inlet and provided with adamp'er for controlling said inlet, and means engaging with that arm of said rod provided with-the U shaped member and operable by the thermodamper when the heatin thechamber ex- 4. In an incubatom a body'ip ortion providlng an: incubating chamber, a thermostat arranged within said 'chambenand'includa vertically disposed stem projecting through the top of th'ebody portion,means V I to provide said chamberwith an'air inlet,

a hot airbutlet and a 'heating'means, a U- shaped actuating rod mounted on said body portion and provided atits fieeie-nds with synchronously operable dampersfor'control ling said outlet and heating means, an L-" shaped shifting rod'pivoltally mounted on and depending from said 'bodyfportion and provided with-a damper for controlling said Emmi swarm, f

stat for actuating said rod tofiopen'said J 

